9.28.2010

Time to play Ketchup.

Been a while since the last post, and have I been busy busy busy. While in Lacoste, my fellow Working Class Studio participants and I have been making little Blabla dolls. Not exactly Blabla, but working on different designs for a limited edition doll. I chose to make a fish and have it's mouth be a zipper so it can eat stuff. I'm so happy with it so far, and I'm almost finished. I'll post pictures ASAP, because my camera and myself are in two different places.

All work and no play would make this trip very boring. So to start from last post, I have been exploring, walked and biked to Menerbes (a nearby village), and made a group trip to Nimes and the Pont du Gard.

Lacoste is centered between two villages, Menerbes and Bonnieux. The former is a bit smaller and has more gardens and vineyards. My roommates joined me on the 14km (9 mile) round trip hike there, and it was gorgeous!! A beautiful warm day and very very sunny. I'll be back there soon.

Nimes is an ancient Roman city where many ruins still stand. While there we visited les Arenes, an arena :), just like the Roman Colosseum only smaller. We were able to climb all the way to the top and look out over the city. They still hold performances inside, including bullfighting. After that we continued to the Carre d'Art where we saw a few contemporary exhibits. After that we were free to explore and sketch.

Friends and I went straight for a cafe for a beer and to sit and relax, it had been a long morning :). We had fun being the weird Americans watching everyone. We kept wandering around and a lot of Nimes looked like a little Paris. There was a small river running through an avenue which led to a garden with the ruins of an old temple and a park within it. Absolutely beautiful. (Mom, just like the Luxembourg Gardens!)

After exploring for a bit, we all herded back to the bus and left for the Pont du Gard. AMAZING!!! It's an old Aquaduct, one of the largest and few left, which runs over a river. It doesn't carry anymore water, but we were able to walk across and then go swimming in the ice cold water. Think, Lake Michigan even in the summer. We ended up swimming up river and under the Pont. I was able to swim on my back and look up as I passed underneath, one of my favorite memories thus far!

Sadly, all I can post is a description. However, photos will be up ASAP and posts will be closer together. I'll try for every Tuesday and Friday.